Machine for manufacturing seamless leather articles



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l. P. J. BRINGHAM.

MAGHINE FOR MANUFACTURING SEAMLESS LEATHER ARTICLES. No. 579,468. Patented Mar. 23, 1897.

ililTl Will:

F. J. BRINGHAM. MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING SEAMLESS LEATHER ARTIGLES.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

No Model.)

Patented Mar. 23, 1897.

UNTTED STATES PATENT rricn.

FRIEND J. BRINGHAM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,468, dated March 23, 1897.

' Application filed pr 1 .To all whom it ntay concern:

Be it known that I, FRIEND J. BRINGHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for the Manufacture of Seamless Leather Articles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawlngs.

My invention relates to the manufacture of seamless leather articles, and particularly to a machine for making cartridge-belts in which a series of sockets are connected to the belt and are formed by slitting a strip of leather at various points along its edge, spreading these slitted portions, and pressing them. into the form of the completed sockets adapted to receive the cartridges.

In carrying out my invention I employ a series of mandrel-pins, which not only serve as formers about which the slitted portions of the leather belt are pressed, but also as the means for spreading the slitted portions and for forming the bottoms of the sockets.

My machine inclu des upper and lower pressing-dies with means for pressing them together and a series of mandrel-pins with means for pressing the same into the sockets formed between the pressingdies, said means acting to hold the pins so that the slitted strip may be pressed about them.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of the machine; Fig. 2, a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a plan View; Fig. 4:, a detail of the presser-bar for the mandrel-pins. Fig. 5 is a detailed perspective view of a pair of dies adapted to a hand-operating machine. Fig. 6 is an end view of said dies; Fig. 7, a plan View, and Fig. 8 a view of the presserbar for the mandrel-pins. Fig. 9 is a View of a portion of the cartridge-belt with the mandrel-pins in place.

The lower pressing-die 1 is fixed to the standards 2, and the upper movable die 3 is pivotally supported at 4 to have movement toward and from the fixed die. The upper die is operated or is pressed downwardly by cams 5 on a shaft 6, engaging rollers 7, journaled in ears 8 of the upper die, and the camshaft is operated through gearing 9 and 10 from a hand-wheel 11. The leather strip Serial No. 688,760. (No model.)

having been slit edgewise at proper points along its length, the mandrel-pins 12 are in-.

serted therein to partially spread the slitting portions of the leather, and this strip carrying the pins is then placed upon the lower die, and the upper die is then brought down upon it, so that the curved recesses in the upperand lower dies will press the leather about the pins and thus properly form the cylindrical sockets for receiving the cartridges. Just prior to the pressing action the pins are forced inwardly, so that they will form the bottoms of the sockets in the leather, and this action is secured from a presser-bar 13, having rods 13 moving in bearings 14 of the standards 15, and operating from the eccentrics 16 on the shaft 6 through the rods 17 and levers 18, pivotedin ears 19, Fig. 2, said levers being connected at their lower ends with the rods 13. Through this mechanism the pins are thrust rearwardly, spreading the leather and partially forming the bottoms of the sockets, and after they have reached their proper position the upper pressing-die completes its pressing action and in connection with the mandrel completes the formation of the cartridge-sockets. The pins, it will be understood, are not connected with the bar 13, but are inserted independently thereof, and this bar merely serves to press the pins inward and to hold them in position to act as mandrels for the pressing-dies.

In the formation of the belt I use a lining, which is inserted in the outer socketportion, and this lining may be formed by means of the mandrel-pins and dies above described. The upper movable die preferably has a counterweight 20,which will permit it to be opened without using great force.

In Figs. 5 to 8 I illustrate a form of my invention in which the upper die may be pressed upon the lower die by any suitable means, such as an ordinary screw operating upon the upper die, and in this form I show means whereby the rearward movement of the mandrel-pins is effected through means operated by the downward movement of the upper die, said means in this instance consisting of a cam 21 on the upper die engaging a bell-crank 22, pivoted to the side of the lower die and having its end engaging a pin 23, projecting from the rods 13 of the presser of the mandrel-pins, so that as the upper die comes down the cam through the bell-crank will thrust the presser device for the mandrelpins toward the rear. The lower die is slotted at 24 for the pins 23 to move therein.

I do not wish to limit myself to the precise means shown for securing this action from the movement of the upper die, as this may be accomplished in other ways. The rods 13 in Fig. 1, it will be noticed, are in direct line with the center of the die-sockets, so that the pressure upon the pressure-bar will be centrally of the work, and while I have shown in Fig. 5 the rods 13 as below the center line of the resistance it will be understood that this bar may be also arranged in the same horizontal plane as the die-sockets, the parts being shown in Fig. 5 in their present positions for convenience of illustration. It will be seen from this operating mechanism that after the mandrel-pins have been forced to the rear and seated in the sockets of the leather strip the upper die may continue its downward movement without effecting the longitudinal position of the pins, for at this time the roller in the end of the bell-crank lever Will ride against the vertical part 25 of the cam-piece and will simply be held thereby to maintain the mandrel-pins in proper position.

NVhile I have shown my invention as designed for carrying out the manufacture of cartridge-belts, I do not wish to limit myself to the use of my invention in this respect, as the principle thereof may be applied to the manufacture of other articles.

I claim as my invention- 1. A machine for forming leather articles consisting of a pair of dies, a mandrel-pin independent of the machine and adapted to be inserted by hand, means for closing the dies and for seating and holding the mandrelpin in proper position during the pressing action, substantially as described.

2. In combination, an upper and lower die, each having a semicircular recess therein,

said dies being hinged together to have pivotal movement toward and from each other, means for operating the dies, the mandrelpin having its end adapted to form the end of the socket and means for holding the said pin in place when the dies are under pressure, the said recesses in the dies being curved at their inner ends to form a closed inner end for the socket, substantially as described.

3. In combination, a pair of dies, each having a series of sockets, a series of mandrels adapted to fit in the sockets formed between the dies, and means for closing the dies and for holding the series of mandrel-pins, the said dies with the series of mandrel-pins being arranged to press the material into the form of a series of sockets with connecting webs or portions of the material between the sockets and holding them together, substantially as described.

4. In combination, a pair of dies having a series of sockets between them, a series of mandrel-pins, a presser-bar extending across the ends of said pins and means for operating the presser-bar toward the dies, substantially as described.

5. In combination, the dies having the sockets, the mandrel-pins, the presser-bar extending across the same, and having rods at its ends extending rearwardly and meansfor operating said rods, substantially as described.

6. In combination the die-sections, each having a series of sockets, a series of loose mandrel-pins independent of the machine and adapted to be inserted in the slit blank by hand and means for thrusting the mandrelpins in place and holding them, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRIEND J. BRINGHAM.

IVitnesses:

HENRY E. COOPER, F. L. MIDDLETON. 

